Calmel & Joseph Villa Blanche Grenache Rose IGP PAYS D'OC 2017 (750ml)

 

Calmel & Joseph Villa Blanche Grenache Rose

 

IGP PAYS D'OC 2017

 

Exquisitely pale pink of great brilliance.  The nose is floral, with notes of aniseed, rose and white blossom.  Succulent, well-balanced, fruity and fresh at the same time, it reveals notes of citrus but also white peach, apricot and a touch of almond and mint.  A beautifully long finish confirms this as a structured rosé that is not only excellent for drinking immediately, but one that will maintain all its qualities for the next two to three years.

 

Appellation:  IGP PAYS D’OC

 

Vintage:  2017

 

Varieties:  70% Grenache Gris & 30% Grenache Noir

 

Alcohol:  12.5%

 

Terroir

 

Clay-limestone.  Typically Mediterranean climate, warm and sunny with light rainfall. Warm winters, hot summers and regular periods of dry weather mean that the grapes ripen perfectly.

 

Vinification

 

The grapes are picked at night, in two sessions.  The first harvest is just before the grapes are fully ripe, to keep freshness in the wine, then the second picking happens two weeks later, to get good concentration and varietal character.  The grapes are destemmed then macerated for six hours at 5°C. Fermentation is at a controlled temperature of 17°C.  The fine lees are added back to the wine at racking to add more structure on the palate.  No malolactic fermentation.

 

Ageing:  Stainless steel tank.

 

 

Two Names Two Skill Sets

 

Founded in 1995, Calmel & Joseph is a maison de négoce specializing in Languedoc-Roussillon wines from private wineries from across the region.  Over the years, we have built close personal relationships with a large number of growers from all appellations.  Convinced of the extraordinary potential of this region, oenologist, Laurent Calmel, and Jerome Joseph work together on the vinification, blending and ageing of wines with the common purpose of demonstrating the little known yet unique quality of these Mediterranean terroirs.  As well as our desire to produce high quality wines consistent with their terroirs, we are committed to making wines which reflect our convictions and experience.

 

Domaine Calmel & Joseph

 

Domaine Calmel & Joseph is a former farmstead, typical of the Languedoc, first mentioned in a deed of property dated the 26 July 1577 belonging to the nobleman Jehan de Calmès, Lord of Saint Jullia.  In the course of its history it was known by several different names, including Borde Neuve and La Madone.

 

It was a classic farmstead of its time, with around fifteen hectares on which cereals were grown, mainly wheat, but also oats, barley, malt and lentils.  There were also olive groves, sheep flocks kept for their wool, and coppices for the provision of wood.  Vines began to be cultivated on the estate in the 16th century, but purely to make wine for personal consumption.  Roman remains can still be seen today in the scrublands surrounding the Domaine.

 

A Privileged Position

 

A high-altitude estate in the image of our Languedoc Roussillon parcel selections, with favourable soils, orientation and climate.

 

The Domaine sits in a remarkable geographical position on the threshold of the Val de Dagne, at the foot of the Alaric mountain and the Hautes Corbières, in the heart of 160 uninterrupted hectares, and disposes of a total of 200 hectares in all.

 

At altitudes ranging from 240 to 300 metres, the cultivated plots are surrounded by richly diverse woodland of Aleppo pines, black and parasol pines, beech, holm and white oak, ash, poplar and cypress, and wild Mediterranean scrub fragrant with juniper, thyme, lavender, broom and laurel.

 

The rolling hills and valleys essentially composed of sandy clay and chalk with outcrops of limestone rock allow each type of vegetation to find its ideal situation and orientation.

 

The estate is a complex mix of geological and climatic influences at the confluence of the terroirs of the Corbières, Limoux, the Malpère, the Cabardès and the Minervois.  The climate is typically Mediterranean, with mists that form due to the proximity to the Alaric hills causing the temperatures to be generally lower and the rainfall greater than in sectors just a few kilometres away in the direction of Narbonne.

 

An Innovative Domaine

 

The site is perfectly adapted to the adoption of respectful agriculture and innovative techniques.  Because of its isolation, the Domaine is in a unique position to try innovative methods of cultivation.  With no neighbouring cultures to influence our experiments, we can very rapidly obtain and analyse results.

 

This information also helps us in our work as negociant winemakers with our parcel selections from across the whole of the Languedoc Roussillon.

 

The region has experienced something of a renaissance over the last few decades and concentrates an enormous energy.  Many young growers with enquiring minds are adopting practices that are virtuous and respectful of the environment.  These ecologically aware enthusiasts are our partners, with the Domaine as a centre for exchanging experiences and sharing of ideas.

 

Organic Farming Methods

 

Putting life at the heart of the Domaine’s preoccupations is our priority

 

We switched to organic farming for the entire estate as soon as we arrived here.  We use no chemical inputs, whether it be pesticides, herbicides or fungicides, but only natural products in extremely low doses such as sulphur or tiny amounts of copper, and principally plant extracts and essences to protect against disease.

 

Our work consists of re-establishing life in the soils to encourage mycorrhizae, worms, bacterial activity, fungi and insects.  To do so we enrich the organic content of the earth by winter sowing of faba beans, oats and barley whose root systems pierce and aerate the clay strata and increase nitrogen levels in the soil.

 

There is no deep ploughing, but only surface raking.  Soils analyses carried out each year determine the best course of action to obtain rich, living, balanced soils.  In just a few years we have already witnessed a huge surge in the quantity and variety of fauna and flora.